Man Left in Coma After Beating

LOVES PARK (WIFR) – A Loves Park man remains in a coma after police say he was beaten and left for dead in an empty lot over the weekend. There are many unanswered questions in this case and the man’s family is pleading for help to solve the crime.

“We’re still in the dark about what exactly went on and I was really upset, this is the only brother I have.”Steven Eye says he’s scared for his younger brother Matthew who was found beaten and unconscious in an empty lot in Rockford Saturday morning.

“He has swelling in the brain, that had to drill a hole to relieve the pressure. I just miss him and want him to get better,” Eye said.

Rockford police say at around 1 a.m., a passerby reported a group of people attacking someone in the area of Harrison and 9th Street. Officers say they didn’t see a fight, however an emergency call six hours later lead them to Eye’s unconscious body in the same area.

“We have batteries every day, because of the time of day and not much traffic there, because it’s an industrial area, he unfortunately laid there,” said Lt. Pat Hoey with the Rockford Police Department.

Steven believes his brother may have been hit by a car considering his injuries were so severe.

“It’s like the golden rule in the Bible, you do unto others as you would want others to do unto you, after you got hit would you want other to walk by you or drive off and just leave you there presumably for dead?” Steven asks.

Police haven’t been able to talk to Eye since he’s been unconscious for the last three days. His family hopes a witness will step forward and shed some light on the case.

“He’s an overall good person, I don’t see why anyone would do this to him.”

It’s unclear whether he was hit or beaten. Police say he was beaten but no one can know for sure until he wakes up. Detectives say there aren’t any traffic cameras or recording devices in that area.

Police say that he has a friend who lives in the area, which may explain why he was found near the industrial park

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